The global pharmaceutical market is expected to grow from US$300 billion to US$400 billion over the next three years, according to the World Health Organization.1 While U.S. based companies play a major role in this industry, 85 percent of the market share is held by competitors in North and South America, Europe and Japan. Four out of the 10 most profitable pharmaceutical companies are headquartered in Europe, while six of the top companies are based in the United States.

The historical passage of the Affordable Care Act guarantees all Americans health care coverage.  In California more than 7 million residents are without health insurance and of that number well over  50% percent are Hispanic.  Covered California is charged with implementing the federal health care law – the Affordable Care Act – and  creating a new insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to health insurance. 

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is making quality, affordable health care coverage accessible to an estimated 10 million uninsured Hispanics.  This previously unprecedented access for the group with the least access (nearly 1 in 3 uninsured) has the potential to write a whole new future for the Hispanic community due to its emphasis on preventive care and provisions for heightened cultural competency.

If we in the healthcare industry believe that the path to good health does not begin until someone enters the hospital, we are already starting off at a great disadvantage. That’s a failed model of healthcare for all involved: doctors and nurses, healthcare providers, caregivers and patients. It’s a model that reinforces the passive patient who doesn’t question their physician or ask for a second opinion. A model that makes patients more comfortable turning to folk cures and alternative therapies instead of preventive self-screening and proven treatment methods. 

Inequities in access to healthcare, the quality of care received and opportunities to make healthy choices where people live, learn, work and play all contribute to the rates of obesity being higher for Latino adults and children compared to Whites. Also contributing to the higher rates of obesity is the fact that Latino communities experience higher rates of hunger and food insecurity, limited access to safe places to be physically active and targeted marketing of less nutritious foods.^1,2